Home
by Cravats are cool
Summary: A very late contribution to Narumitsu Week for the prompt "Home." Edgeworth comes home after a long business trip to Europe and finds a surprise waiting for him. Shamelessly domestic oneshot, post Dual Destinies


Annoyed and jetlagged, it took Miles Edgeworth more tries than he would like to admit to successfully fumble the door open. He walked into his darkened apartment, dragging his suitcase behind him. The Chief Prosecutor reached to flick on the lights when a familiar noise stayed his hand.

Gentle snoring rumbled throughout the living room, bringing an involuntary smile to Edgeworth's weary face. _That ridiculous man,_ he thought, all too fondly. Draped on the couch across from the television, spiky hair barely visible in the unlit room, was Phoenix Wright.

Edgeworth left his suitcase where it was, and approached the sleeping man. It wasn't an uncommon sight for the Chief Prosecutor to find his husband in this position. Many nights, Phoenix stayed up late waiting for Edgeworth to come home from work, and often fell asleep in doing so. After returning from another five month long business trip to Europe, it wasn't altogether surprising to see that Phoenix had tried, and failed, to stay up for Edgeworth yet again.

Staring down at the other man's relaxed, sleeping form, Edgeworth felt some of his irritation from the flight melt away. The unguarded expression and slight smile on Phoenix's face made him appear disarmingly young and sweet in slumber. The Chief Prosecutor's hand found its way into Phoenix's soft hair. Allowing himself a rare moment of indulgence, he sat by Phoenix's side and ran his hand through the normally tidy bed head of spikes that smushed against the couch cushions.

The repetitive action was soothing, and soon Edgeworth was lulled into a sort of trance. It seemed, in that moment, that the only two things in the world that mattered were him and his husband. A soft sound broke Edgeworth's reverie.

Phoenix's eyelids fluttered open and mismatched eyes looked blearily up at him.

"Hello," Edgeworth said simply.

Phoenix rubbed a hand over his face and sat up. "You're back," he said, voice hoarse.

"I am."

He wasted no time, and soon Edgeworth felt the full weight of a sleepy Phoenix Wright on his chest. Unprepared to catch the man, Edgeworth was pushed onto his back on the couch with an undignified grunt.

"And your dumb accent's back too. Shouldn't be surprised." Phoenix's voice was still slurred from sleep.

"My what?"

Phoenix shifted again, this time off Edgeworth. The two men were lying beside one another as best as they could given the space. Phoenix rested his head on Edgeworth's chest.

"You always come back with this pronounced accent from being around all those Europeans… It gets less obvious after you've been here a while," the defense attorney mumbled into Edgeworth's suit.

"I didn't realize."

"It's annoyingly attractive."

Oh. Edgeworth flushed. "I-I see."

Phoenix smirked up at him.

Edgeworth cleared his throat, deciding to change the subject before Phoenix could ruffle him further. "...What time is it? How late did you stay up?"

"That doesn't matter."

The instant reply made Edgeworth frown. "You don't have to stay up so late for me, Phoenix," he chided gently.

"I know don't have to. I want to."

"You should be sleeping in a bed."

"And I will. Once you're in it with me." Phoenix's arms wrapped around Edgeworth. "But I like this. I like being the first thing you see of home."

"You are my home, love."

Love. It had just slipped out some time ago, during their first year of marriage. Edgeworth had never been very comfortable with pet names, but something about the term seemed appropriate. Phoenix was so full of love. He gave it freely to his friends and his family, to people he didn't even know who had no one on their side.

The name stuck immediately, reserved for quiet moments like this. Hearing it, Phoenix would sit up taller. His eyes would shine brighter.

"Oh, man." Phoenix chuckled. Even in the dark, Edgeworth didn't miss the faint red coloring high in his cheeks. "That was corny."

Edgeworth wrapped his arms around Phoenix. "I suppose so."

Phoenix hummed to fill the silence that landed comfortably between them.

After five long months of not seeing him, Edgeworth was struck by how very there Phoenix was. Video chats couldn't do him justice. Here, his laughter wasn't tinged with static. His smile was brighter in person. Holding his husband in his arms, Phoenix was suddenly so real that it ached.

Uncharacteristically impulsive, Edgeworth leaned down to meet Phoenix's lips with his own. With a muffled noise of surprise, Phoenix returned the kiss. Phoenix was usually the one who instigated physical contact, but he was more than happy to receive it. After what might have been moments or hours, they broke apart.

"What brought that on?" Phoenix asked with a breathless smile.

"...It's been a while," Edgeworth said.

Phoenix kissed him this time, short and sweet. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." The words are surprisingly easy to say. A few years ago, even admitting something like that to himself would be difficult; a show of weakness, of reliance.

Phoenix never had problems making such sentimental statements. He felt too much whereas Edgeworth was scared to say what he felt. Phoenix was all warmth and unafraid kisses, "I love yous" freely given.

It had felt nice to do the same.

"It's so good to have you back." Phoenix pressed their foreheads together. "...You're not leaving again, right? Not for a while?"

Guilt twinged in Edgeworth's stomach. Phoenix didn't like to be left alone for such lengthy periods of time, and Edgeworth didn't relish it himself. It really wasn't fair to both of them. But if he was ever going to be able to adapt their current legal system, examining the court systems of other countries would be paramount to progress.

"I won't have to leave until after Trucy goes off to college." Edgeworth felt Phoenix relax. That was more than half a year away.

"I… I'll always come back." He hesitated, proceeding carefully, "I hope you know that." There were incidents from the long ago past, incidents that still stung, even though too many years had passed. I never want him to feel like that again.

Edgeworth's grip on his husband had unwittingly become tighter. Phoenix only laughed and pried his hands off, holding them. "Miles. That didn't even occur to me."

"Oh. Good." Edgeworth said, a mixture of grateful and embarrassed. "Maybe you can come with me on my next trip."

"I'd like that." Phoenix kissed the bridge of his husband's nose, right above his glasses. "Well. I hope you realize by now that we're not going to bed."

Oh, no.

"You intend to sleep on the couch?"

"No, of course not." Edgeworth's relief was short-lived. "I intend for both of us to sleep on the couch."

"Phoenix. No."

"Phoenix, yes." The ridiculous lawyer mumbled sleepily, stubbornly holding Edgeworth. There was no escape from his snug grasp.

Edgeworth grumbled, resigning himself to a long night on the couch with his husband clinging to him. He had forgotten how cuddly Phoenix could be in his sleep. "You're incorrigible."

"I love you too." Phoenix's fading voice still managed to sound satisfied with his victory.

"You're going to get back problems if you keep doing this."

"Mm. That's nice." The defense attorney was too far gone to listen.

Edgeworth fell silent. Within moments, Phoenix fell asleep.

Anyone would laugh if they happened upon this scene; the fearsome Chief Prosecutor nestled together on a tiny couch with his old rival snuggling the life out of him. Though it was certainly undignified, Edgeworth found that he couldn't bring himself to mind. The position was surprisingly comfortable, and sleep lingered not far off.

Back problems might just be worth this.

Edgeworth looked down at Phoenix's once-again peaceful sleeping face, and he felt a rush of fondness. He had missed this.

When did I become so hopelessly sentimental?

He pressed a kiss to the sleeping lawyer's temple.

"...Goodnight, love."

It was good to be home.


End file.
